Are you a business owner who is opening a new location in Long Beach? These are exciting times! If you’re like most business owners, you are leasing a space that wasn’t designed with your company in mind. Hopefully, your landlord has provided you with an allowance for tenant improvements so you can make the changes you need to set up your company for success. If the changes you will be making are more than simply cosmetic changes (paint, new flooring, adding some cabinets, etc.), you are going to want to find an architecture firm in Long Beach, CA that specializes in tenant improvements.
Even if you think you will only be making cosmetic changes, you may still need the help of an architecture firm in Long Beach. The City of Long Beach requires that any new businesses submit site plans and floor plans for their commercial space prior to issuing a business license. They do this as a way to ensure that commercial spaces are compliant with the current building code. You could have these plans drawn up by a draftsperson (as opposed to a licensed architect), but unfortunately, if you are dealing with a space that is more than a few years old, it likely won’t be compliant.
After submitting your plans, the City will likely come back to you with a list of changes that need to be made before you can occupy the space, and you will then need to hire an architect to draw up a new set of plans that show how you will rectify all of the code violations. This could set your business’ opening date back by weeks or even months!
What smart business owners do is have plans drawn up by an architecture firm in Long Beach, CA at the start of the process. When they go in to apply for their business license, they present the City with a set of as-built plans, as well as a set of plans with proposed changes to bring the space into compliance with current building regulations. Those plans can also include any other tenant improvements they wish to make.
Finding architecture firms in Long Beach, CA that can help you with tenant improvements is not as easy as you might think. Some smaller firms and independent architects only take on residential projects, while the larger architecture firms in Long Beach tend to focus on bigger commercial projects. Look for small to medium-sized firms that have a portfolio of tenant improvement projects. If your space has complex requirements—like if it needs to be able to accommodate specialized equipment—look for architecture firms that have taken on projects in the past that require more than just space planning and some interior design.
Working with a talented architect for your tenant improvement plans certainly cost you some money (probably more than you want to spend), but they can also help you create a space that will set up your company for long-term success!
